The kitchen at Dusty Bottoms is sunny and bright with beautiful views of the Colorado foothills. This kitchen gets warm southern sun all year long and when we moved in the kitchen was full of plants! There were potted plants on every surface and a green glow. The cabinets are a lovely wood, but in poor condition. Parts of the cabinets are coming loose from the wall, and the bottom cabinets under the sink no longer hang straight. Just imagine trying to wash dishes at the sink and every shift of your feet, sends the cabinet doors careening open to hit your legs! The dishwasher isn’t properly installed and leans out of its place if the bottom rack is open and full of dishes. The dishwasher power cord runs along the front of the dishwasher and plugs in around the corner. The floors are old, cracked linoleum tiles that come up every now and then.
The refrigerator is huge and its placement in the corner makes it awkward to open the freezer side. Plus, the built-in ice maker isn’t functional because there is no water hooked up to it, and even if that were possible, the tap water isn’t drinkable due to the cattle run off around us. Right next to the fridge is a vintage Tappan oven, which is cute and functional but with some quirks. The main issue is that the design of the Tappan oven places the burners on the far left and right sides of the stovetop, making the left side burners useless to us because of its proximity to the fridge. The tiny spice shelves above the oven aren’t level and we lose spices all the time to the dark chasm behind the stove. There is a hole in the wall from where a range hood used to live, but it was torn out years ago.
The countertops are laminate and I can’t tell if the yellow color was a design choice, or just stained from the passage of time. There is adequate counter space, but not enough storage, so things end up living on the counter. After sunset, the only light source is a glam, brass chandelier, which casts shadows wherever you stand, whether you’re trying to cook at the stove, use the sink, or food prepping on the counter! The walls are thin, faux wood paneling that has been painted white, which gives the kitchen a farmhouse vibe. I like it but it could use a fresh coat and new trim.
The current pantry is an oversized armoire with added shelves. It holds a lot, but is part of the problem. The shelves are so deep that it becomes difficult to find what you need. There’s also a makeshift, built-in pantry next to the armoire, tucked into the cavity above the basement stairs. It’s dark and deep inside and open to the rafters above. The kitchen definitely needs to be refreshed, not just for looks, but also for functionality.
aspen mitchell 